AMBASSADOR URGES BRITISH TO SEND MAOISTS MESSAGE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000719 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/06/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PTER EAID UK NP SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR URGES BRITISH TO SEND MAOISTS MESSAGE OF ACCOUNTABILITY Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b/d). Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) On April 5 British Ambassador Hall, briefed the Ambassador on the April 2-5 visit to Nepal by Gareth Thomas, UK International Development Minister, and the additional British Pound (BP) 13 million (USD 25.6 million) in aid Thomas had promised to the Government of Nepal's (GON) Peace Trust Fund. According to Hall, Home Minister Sitaula told Thomas he planned to enforce law and order and Thomas told Maoist leaders Baburam Bhattarai and Krishna Mahara that the Maoists would be held accountable. The Ambassador and Hall also discussed the Maoist entry into the Interim Government and the outlook for the proposed June 20 Constituent Assembly election. The Ambassador stressed the urgent need for the international community to deliver a strong and unified message to the Maoists that the international community would forcefully condemn human rights violations and election misconduct. The Maoists needed to know that if the Constituent Assembly election were not free and fair, the international community would call the election a failed exercise, he emphasized. British Increase Contribution to Peace Trust Fund -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) The United Kingdom's Ambassador to Nepal, Dr. Andrew Hall, told the Ambassador on April 5 that Gareth Thomas, UK International Development Minister, on the eve of his arrival, had announced support of 13 million pounds to the GON Peace Trust Fund. The UK Department for International Development (DFID) press release elaborated that the UK would provide an immediate boost of BP 4.6 million (USD 9 million) to the peace process, followed by an additional BP 8.5 million (USD 17 million) depending on Nepal's progress on public financial management. The initial boost constitutes BP 1.5 million (USD 3 million) from the UK's aid budget to Nepal and BP 0.8 million (USD 1.6 million) from the UK's Global Conflict Prevention Pool. A further BP 2.3 million (USD 4.5 million) was to come from the UK Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative for 2006/07, which the GON had allocated to the Peace Trust Fund. The Ambassador congratulated HMG for stepping up to the plate in assisting Nepal's electoral process. UK Minister Talks Law and Order with Home Minister and Maoists -------------- -------------- ¶3. (C) Hall reported that during the delegation's meeting with the newly re-appointed Home Minister, Krishna Sitaula, the latter appeared confident and had assured the delegation that he planned to enforce law and order. The Ambassador remarked that, after Sitaula's failure to enforce law and order over the last 11 months, it would be difficult for the Home Minister to command police confidence. Hall stated that, although he did not attend the meeting with the Maoist leaders, Thomas reported that he had told Senior Maoist Dr. Baburam Bhattarai and the newly appointed Information Minister Krishna Mahara that the Maoists would be held accountable. They would need to prove their credentials to win the support of the international community. HMG would not boost assistance to Maosit-controlled ministries until the Maoist abandon violence. British Support Maoist Entry into Government -------------- ¶4. (C) Hall reported that, in spite of what he conceded was the failure of the Maoists to meet any of Prime Minister Koirala's conditions for entry into the Interim Government, "everyone" in the diplomatic community had wanted the Maoists to join an interim government on April 1. The British were not alone. The Ambassador pointed out to the contrary that, prior to the Government of India's reversal, many big foreign players including the U.S., India, Japan, China and Germany KATHMANDU 00000719 002 OF 002 had supported delaying Maoist entry into the Interim Government until they complied with their peace commitments. Hall did not respond. British View June 20 Election as Problematic -------------- ¶5. (C) Hall agreed with the Ambassador that the international community needed to make every effort to create an atmosphere of accountability in the run-up to the Constituent Assembly election. He also conceded that a June 20 election would be difficult to manage. The Ambassador emphasized the need to pressure the Maoists to correct their behavior. Both Ambassadors agreed that it was critical to find a solution to the unrest in the Terai, although the Ambassador did not agree with Hall that the Madhesi People's Rights Forum (MPRF) was the main problem. The Ambassador told Hall that he believed there was genuine anger among the Madhesis and other ethnic groups in the country, and that it was imperative for the Interim Government to find a constructive way of dealing with minority groups. Not just the MPRF, but even moderate mainstream Madhesis held both the Maoists and the re-appointed Home Minister responsible for excessive use of force in the Terai; the GON would find it difficult to bring the Madhesis into the election process until it recognized that fact. Comment -------------- ¶6. (C) The UK's Parliamentary Minister for International Development will not be the last Minister to arrive in Nepal in the coming weeks bearing additional funds to assist Nepal's peace process and the upcoming elections. Thomas's law and order message to the Home Minister and top Maoist leaders is also good news. The Maoist are now in the government. The need of the hour is a strong, unified message from the international community that elections must be free and fair or the international community will not accept them. We will continue our efforts to ensure this position becomes broadly accepted in the days ahead. MORIARTY